Atomism: Democritus and Epicurus

In the Atomists, we see pluralism taken as far as it could possibly go. We see Democritus and Epicurus divide all the world, as well as the universe, into two categories; atoms and empty space. Everything else is merely thought to exist. The atoms are eternal, infinite in size and number and they are moving through the empty space. There is no motion without empty space. Both Democritus and Epicurus agreed that motion was impossible in a plenum, but it is here that their theories diverge. In the cause of the motion, we begin to see a variety of opinions.

Both Democritus and Epicurus agreed that the "qualitative world of sense perception arises from the motion of qualitatively neutral atoms. They believe that the immense qualitative variety results from the jostling' of atoms...as they collide and bounce apart, and so, constantly form new groupings" (Jones 84). They believe it to be a mechanical process occurring completely by chance. Furthermore, although new groupings are constantly being formed, only the few that can survive are considered the "right" combinations. These are the combinations we recognize through our senses as being "real", although they are not. However, the way in which this complex motion begins is a source of controversy and disagreement amongst the Atomists.

Democritus assumes that the atoms' motion is perpetual. The atoms are never at rest. He presumes that their nature is to move, thereby avoiding "the problem of explaining the origin of the complex motion of atoms by simply affirming that it is in their nature to move so" (Jones 85). He believes that atoms are born along with the whole universe in a vortex. The vortex is not an outside influence, but rather the motion of the atoms themselves. He never accounts for the initiation of this motion. He simply states that it is an inherent quality of the atoms themselves....

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Relate Democritus' ethics and his physics. How can he be concerned with right
and wrong behavior when there are only atoms in the void? Compare his ethics
to Parmenides' Way of Opinion.
!
Democritus was an atomist, and atomists wanted to explain the world without
reasoning. They wanted to ﬁgure out the purpose, the prime mover and the ﬁnal cause,
which by todays standards is the more scientiﬁc approach to ﬁguring out the universe.
Questions should be answered with a mechanistic argument. His theory that everything
is composed of atoms, which can not be divided, and that they have been, and always
will be in motion.
!
Democritus believed in equality, that be a moral person and lead a happy life,
you couldn’t have the maximum of anything, whether it be pleasure or pain. You have to
avoid any extremes. Too much of even pleasure can even lead you down an evil path
Democritus says. You have to maintain a balance, so if you are having too much fun, he
wants you to even it out with a little pain or hardship. How it relates to his physics is that
for the universe to be there needs to a space or void. That void, he says has an equal
right as reality does because it is what helps it be. It is a vacuum that has inﬁnite space,
that moves an inﬁnite amount of atoms, that are small, that they are invisible to the eye,
and are eternal. He didn't believe that there was a supernatural being that...

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The culmination of all the materialist’s theories since its origins comes to fruition in Atomism. Retaining the idea of plurality of the basic elements and the doctrines of a Parmindean indestructibility (nothing is created or destroyed), Atomism claims that reality is comprised of only two things; atoms and empty space.
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...Reading 1:
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Epicurus in his letter to Menoeceus backers the necessity of freedom from prejudice, superstition and extremes of emotions in the pursuit of happiness and a tranquil life. The apparent simplicity of this formula allowed detractors to misinterpret Epicurus, depicting him as depraved, hedonistic, anarchistic and atheistic. His aim is to present to us, how to live a happy life. He sees happiness as the fundamental principle of the good life. This paper is an attempt to critically delineate the essential tenets of Epicureanism as articulated in his letter to Menoeceus, and finally to criticize and evaluate in order to arrive at a dependable conclusion. In what follows, it would be apt to briefly consider the personality or Epicurus, before delving into the main work.
BIOGRAPHY
Epicurus was born in 342BC at Samos, a colony of Athens. His youthful period at Samos provided him with standard Greek education, which Epicurus supplemented with his own investigation into philosophy. At the age of eighteen he came to Athens for his military service. Epicurus was highly influenced by earlier thinkers, especially by Cyrenaic and Democritus; he differed in a significant way with Democritus on determinism. He was an ancient Greek philosopher and the founder of the school of philosophy called Epicureanism. He wrote 300 written works, including 37 treatises on...

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Demoritus was born in Abdera, Thrace about 460B.C. and died about 370 B.C. He was schooled at Pythagorean but traveled to Athens to visit Anaxagoras, a great mathematician that wanted nothing with Democritus. His father was from a noble family and of great wealth, which Democritus inherited and decided to travel to but not limited to Egypt, India, Etheopia, Babylon, and Persia. When Democritus decided to return to his hometown his brother Damosis, took him in. According to the law of Abdera, whoever wasted their fathers inheritance(Democritus spent his inheritance during his travels) would be deprived of the rights of burial.
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